This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
The beginning of 2026 has been rather rocky for One Piece fans due to all the breaks from Shonen Jump and Oda himself, but now is the time for some consistency, because One Piece officially returns with Chapter 1172 this week. With the conclusion of the Loki flashback now official, fans know that big battles lie ahead, and the intense action will finally kickstart with One Piece 1172.
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In the previous chapter, fans got to see Loki show off the power of Ragnir to the fans, and it was truly breathtaking. Now is the time for Loki and Luffy to head up to the Sun Realm, which is where all the intense battles will finally begin. Elbaf is about to get even more exciting, and fans absolutely cannot wait to see what One Piece chapter 1172 brings.
Luffy And Loki Will Head To The Sun Realm In One Piece 1172
- Loki will fly up to the Sun Realm of Elbaf
- Luffy and Loki will join the fight Vs Imu soon
In the last chapter of One Piece, fans got to see the conclusion of the story that Loki was telling the group in the Underworld of Elbaf. Now, everyone knows the truth of Loki's immense sacrifice for his father and the country, and for him, at the very least, things will be smooth sailing from here onward.
You guys can go ahead. I will fly up to the Sun Realm. — Loki to the New Giant Warrior Pirates
That said, Elbaf is in quite a lot of danger, and all the fighters in the Underworld currently recognize this. It is precisely for this reason that everyone is looking to head to the Sun World as soon as possible. The New Giant Warrior Pirates have already started to take their ship back to the Sun Realm, while the Straw Hat Pirates are doing the same.
Meanwhile, Loki and Luffy will fly to the Sun Realm on their own after having taken care of the Draugr that fell into the Underworld. One Piece Chapter 1172 is most certainly going to show all these fighters heading back to the Sun Realm.
Before that happens, Oda will most likely show a glimpse of Imu and how things have developed in the middle part of the country. It is highly likely that Imu has turned more people into their demonic slaves and that Elbaf looks on the verge of destruction. It is precisely at this point that fans should expect the intervention of Luffy and Loki in One Piece Chapter 1172. For the very first time, these two heroes will step up to Imu, and things will get even more exciting.
Luffy and Loki Vs Imu and The Demon Army Begins
One Piece Chapter 1172 could very well mark the beginning of the battle of Elbaf against Imu and his demon army. This fight has been hyped up for quite a few months now, and it is time for Oda to deliver finally.
With the new Giant Warrior Pirates having headed up already, along with the Wings of the Pirate King, as well as Scopper, Gaban, and Chopper, fans know that a lot of exciting matchups will be made over the course of the next few chapters. At the same time, all the focus will be on Luffy and Loki, who will start fighting against the Demon Army immediately.
Allow Mu to show thee the dominance of a God! — Imu in Elbaf
Fans have missed Luffy's Gear 5 transformation tremendously, because the Loki flashback certainly took quite a lot of time to fully flesh out the events that happened all the way until 14 years ago. Now is the time for Loki and Luffy to show off what they are all about, and they might as well attack Imu in the upcoming chapter of the manga.
Loki's Devil Fruit Could Be Revealed In OP 1172
- Loki's Devil Fruit carries legendary power
- Even Imu is wary of Loki's powers
One of the most anticipated reveals in One Piece Chapter 1172 pertains to Loki's very own Devil Fruit ability. As fans might remember, his Devil Fruit was teased for the first time in Chapter 1170, with 1171 giving fans a look at the power of his beloved weapon, Ragnir. That said, Loki's biggest source of power is not Ragnir.
Fans are very well aware of the fact that he wields the power of Elbaf's legendary Devil Fruit, which has not been revealed in the story just yet.
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It is only after he begins fighting Imu and his army that Loki will unleash the full power of his Devil Fruit, and that might well happen in One Piece 1172. Fans are eagerly waiting for Loki to reach the Sun Realm, show off his powers properly, and give the fans an idea of what his Devil Fruit really is.
Now, Loki! Show me what that legendary power can do! — Harald to Loki
For the longest time, fans have been torn over whether Loki has the power of the Fenrir or the Nidhogg dragon. At the moment, it seems that the answer to Loki's Devil Fruit is the latter, because he clearly stated that he can fly with his ability in the previous chapter. One Piece chapter 1172 could very well solve this mystery forever and reveal Loki's grand power to the fans once and for all. From there onwards, things are only going to get more exciting, because Loki will truly showcase what he is capable of doing in combat as he fights alongside the Sun God Nika.
The Holy Knights Will Rush Into Action In Elbaf
While it goes without saying that Oda will throw a lot of focus on the characters of Luffy and Loki in One Piece 1172, one absolutely cannot forget about the Holy Knights as well. At the moment, Elbaf has two active Holy Knights in Killingham and Sommers. Both of these characters are incredibly powerful, and fans will definitely get to see them cause a lot of chaos on Elbaf, especially as they are currently fighting by Imu's side. They might even be stronger than before due to the presence of the sovereign of the world, and that truly makes things very exciting.
So far, the Holy Knights have largely disappointed, aside from a select few individuals such as Gunko and Shamrock. For Sommers and Killingham to truly make a mark, they need to do much more, and One Piece 1172 could give them the opportunity to do just that.
It must also be noted that the upcoming chapter of the manga is most certainly not going to be the most intense one. Given that the flashback has just ended, Oda will slowly lead to the main fights, and that means a couple of build-up chapters should be expected, at the very least. Regardless, these chapters should have exciting reveals of their own, and fans will have ample things to get excited about.
At the same time, One Piece will most likely go on a run from here onwards. The last few weeks have been plagued with breaks of all kinds, and now is the time for the manga to build some consistency. At the very least, fans should see the manga continue for three weeks before heading on a break again, which is more than enough time for Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to excite all the readers once again.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to lay claim to the grand treasure known as the One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1172 is February 1, 2026. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps. Doing so will ensure that fans always support the author.